1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus having the capability of retrieving and sorting images input from an input device, such as a digital camera, according to a condition such as a keyword, and also to a method thereof.
2. Description of the Related Art
In conventional image processing apparatus, a keyword used in retrieving or sorting of images is provided by a user for direct entry through a keyboard or the like.
To provide a user with information about which keywords are assigned to respective images, a keyword is generally displayed together with a corresponding image one by one.
When keywords are assigned to a plurality of images in accordance with the places and situations in which the respective images were taken, it is required that the user observe the images one by one.
However, when a significant number of images are dealt with as in the case where images are taken by a modern sophisticated digital camera system, the entering of keywords through a keyboard from one image to another becomes difficult.
Furthermore, when a plurality of images are displayed in the form of a list of thumbnail images, it is difficult to display keywords associated with the respective images in a limited display area and thus the user cannot know which keywords are assigned to the respective images.
To solve the above problems, the invention provides an image processing apparatus including storage means for storing a plurality of image data, and control means for controlling the process of displaying a plurality of image data stored in the storage means in the form of a list of thumbnail images so that labels corresponding to the keywords of the image data are displayed near the respective image data.